Self-registering land-measuring device.



No. 882,191. PATENTED M AR. 17, 1908.

J. FINN. SELF REGISTERING LAND MEASURING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 21, 1907.

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i No. 882,191. PATENTED MAR.17,1908.

J. FINN.

SELF REGISTERING LAND MEASURING DEVICE.

' APPLICATION FILED [AI 21, 1907.

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JAY FINN, OF ELMO, KANSAS.

SELF-REGISTERING LAND-MEASURING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 17, 1908.

Application filed May 21, 1907. Serial No. 374,870.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAY FINN, a citizen of the United States, residingat Elmo, in the county of Dickinson and State of Kansas, have invented anew and useful Self-Registering Land-Measuring Device, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to a self registering land measuring device.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofmeasuring devices, and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensivemeasuring device, cap able of accurately measuring land and of autogiatilcally recording the distance traveled A further object of the inventionis to pro vide a land measuring device, which will enable lands of anycharacter to be quickly and easily measured, without requiring the operator to assume a stooping position while the device is traveling overthe ground.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claimshereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form,proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope ofthe claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:Figure 1 is a perspective view of a land measuringdevice, constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view of the same partly in elevation. Fig. 3 is aplan view, the lid or cover being open to illustrate the registering andcalculating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line03:1c of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the measuring wheel, showingthe graduations thereof. Fig. 6 is a detail view, illustrating theconstruction of the eccentric and the actuating rod or pitman.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings. I

1 designates a measuring wheel, adapted to run on the ground formeasuring lands, and provided wlth a periphery of 49% inches, or onefourth of a rod. One of the faces of the measuring wheel is providedwith graduations 2, the wheel being marked off into feet and inches, asclearly illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, so that, as hereinaftermore fully explained, the result may be read in rods, feet and inches.

The measuring wheel is mounted on a transverse shaft or axle 3, which isjournaled in suitable bearings of the front ends of a pair oflongitudinal side bars 4 and 5 of the frame of the measuring device. Themeasuring wheel may be fixed to the shaft or axle by means of a setscrew 3, or any other suitable fastening means. The side bars 4; and 5,which converge forwardly, are connected by front and rear transversebars 6 and 7, and the side bar 4 is provided at its front end with aforwardly projecting extension 8, which is tapered to form a pointer orindicator to cooperate with the graduations of the measuring wheel. Thetransverse bars 6 and 7 are located in advance and in rear of the centerof the frame, and the side bars, which are also connected by atransverse rod 9, extend rearwardly be yond the transverse bar 7, andtheir rear portions 10 are curved slightly and are shaped into handles,which are adapted to be grasped by the operator, whereby the device maybe run along the ground in the manner of a wheel-barrow with theoperator in an erect position.

The frame is provided with a fixed bottom board 11, extending from thefront to the rear transverse bar and entirely across the frame andsecured to the side bars and to the transverse bars 6 and 7. The framealso carries a lid or cover 12, connected at one edge by hinges 1.3 withthe side bar 4, and secured, when closed, by hooks 15, mounted on theother side bar 5. The hooks engage suitable headed projections 16,extending from the free edge of the lid or cover. The bottom board andthe lid or cover form a casing for the calculating mechanism, whichregisters the distance traveled by the measuring de- V106.

The calculating mechanism comprises a units disk or wheel 17, a tensdisk or wheel 18 and a hundreds disk or wheel 19. The units disk orwheel is provided with peripheral. teeth 20, and it bears numerals fromO to 9, four teeth being provided between each of the numerals, so thatfour complete revolutions of the measuring wheel will move the unitsdisk or wheel the distance of four teeth, or from one numeral toanother.

The units disk is actuated by a rod or pitman 21, connected at its frontends with a shank 22 of a collar 23 of an eccentric 24, consisting of adisk mounted on the shaft or axle 3 at one end thereof. The collar isretained on the eccentric by means of a plate or disk 25, secured to theinner face of the collar and engaging the inner face of the eccentric24. The shank 22 is provided at its rear end with a groove 26, locatedat the inner face of the shank or bar and receiving the front end of therod or pitman 21, which has its front terminal 27 bent at an angle andextending through the shank or bar 22. The end 27 of the rod 21 isthreaded for the reception of a nut 28, which engages the outer face ofthe shank or bar 22. The actuating element or pitman may, however, beconstructed in any other preferred manner, as will be readilyunderstood. The rear portions 29 of the pit man or actuating memberextends through a slot 30 of the side bar 5 of the frame, and it is heldin engagement with the teeth of the units disk or wheel by means of asuitable spring 31, secured at one end to the side bar 5 and having itsother end bearing against the outer side of the pitman or actuatingmember t5 yaJ-z The eccentric reciprocates the actuating member adistance equal to one of the teeth of the units disk, and a step by stepmove ment is imparted to the disk by the rotary movement of themeasuring wheel. The disk is held against retrograde movement by meansof a check pawl or dog 32, pivoted at one end to the bottom 11 by asuitable fastening device 33 and provided at its other end with aplurality of teeth for engaging the teeth of the units disk or wheel.The pawl or dog 32 is maintained in engagement with the teeth of theunits disk by means of a spring 34 secured to the inner edge of the sidebar 4, and interposed between the same and the pawl or dog.

The units disk is mounted on a suitable shaft or spindle 35, and itcarries an arm 86, adapted to engage successively a series ofprojections 37 of the tens disk or wheel 18, which also bears a set ofnumerals from 0 to 9. At each revolution of the units disk, the tensdisk is .moved the distance of one numeral. The tens disk is mounted ona suitable shaft or spindle 38, and it carries an arm 39, adapted toengage successively a series of pro'ections 40 of the hundreds disk orwheel. he hundreds disk or wheel is mounted on a suitable shaft orspindle 41 and is provided with a set of numerals, ranging from 0 to 9,and it is actuated the distance of one numeral at each revolution of thetens disk or wheel. The cover 12 of the casing is provided withapertures 42, 43, and 44, arranged to expose a numeral of each of thedisks or wheels of the calculating mechanism, whereby the distance inrods, traveled by the measuring device, may be seen at a glance. This,with the distance in feet and inches indicated by the hand or pointer 8,will denote the exact distance traveled by the measuring wheel.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

A land measuring device comprisin a measuring wheel, a frame providedwith Torwardly converging side bars having the measuring wheel mountedbetween their front ends, the rear ends of the side bars forminghandles, said frame being also pro vided at an intermediate point with acasing having a fixed bottom, and a movable top or cover provided withapertures, calculating mechanism arranged within the casing, aneccentric mounted upon the shaft, and'an actuating member or pitmanoperated by the eccentric and actuating the calculating mechanism.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoaffixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAY FINN.

Witnesses:

A. S. Fraser, 0. HARTMANN.

